February 21, 2012

We almost wimped out yesterday. Although my husband Tom (Mayenknecht) and I had made a little pact when we began our Sun Run InTraining running program this year about doing all of our training runs outside, here we were thinking maybe, just maybe, we might dodge the rainy weather.
We had a short debate whether to stick with our original plan and brave the weather outside or hit the treadmill in the warm and dry ... Read More …

Accused ecstasy smuggler Mandeep Kumar Ranga has been fighting his extradition since his October 2008 arrest in Vancouver.
He is alleged to have smuggled large quantities of the synthetic drug into the U.S. in 2007.
Now he has lost two more rounds to avoid trial in the U.S. The B.C. Court of Appeal issued two rulings against him Tuesday – one dismissing his appeal of an earlier court order to send him south and a ... Read More …

British indie sensation Florence + The Machine will be at Deer Lake Part in Burnaby on July 20th with special guests The Walkmen.
Florence + The Machine’s latest album Ceremonials debuted at the top of the Billboard charts upon its release last November, and garnered Florence Welch and her band a coveted spot on Saturday Night Live.
Tickets for the concert go on sale Friday, Feb. 24 at Ticketmaster. $49.50 plus service charges.
Other ... Read More …

Vatican astronomer, Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, the smart, good-natured and media-savvy curator of the Vatican meteorite collection in Castel Gandolfo, one of the largest in the world, is lecturing for St. Mark’s College on the University of B.C. campus on February 25 and 27.
A news release from the Jesuits in English Canada says:
“Brother Guy has been featured on TV’s satirical late night television program The Colbert Report, in the UK’s Guardian newspaper, The ... Read More …

Canada Stockwatch has published an interesting story about a group of retirees who sued two stockbrokers who recommended a risky options trading program. The brokers claimed that the risk would be moderated with so-called “Dynamite insurance,” but according to the retirees, the strategy blew apart during the 2008 financial meltdown.
We republish this story with the Stockwatch’s permission.
Canaccord sued by retirees over options strategy
Canaccord Financial Inc (C:CF)
Shares Issued 83,413,156
Last ... Read More …

British chart-topping sensation Adele is probably going to get the M.I.A. treatment for giving the BRIT Awards the middle finger at the end of the show on Tuesday.
The singer was in the midst of thanking her fans after receiving the Album of the Year trophy when she was cut off to make way for the show’s closing performance by Blur.
Adele, who recently won six Grammy Awards, added two BRITs to her collection ... Read More …

DAY 2 - Romeo’s Ride hits a wall.
I always start my mornings staring down my work from the previous day. Today, I was feeling alarmed by the stop-sign-red layer I painted on the backgrounds of 4 of the five canvasses I am working on. Time for a detour.
Romeo’s Ride After 4 Hours
So, now I am shifting my palette towards violet and cadmium yellow with black and white to get lovely grey greens ... Read More …

BY Mia Stainsby
Vancouver Sun
Travel and wine? Those are two magical words.
A new Vancouver company, Into The Vineyard, helps merge the two in ways you couldn’t, on your own.
The principals Dean Horvath and Colin Simpson have many years of experience under their belt in the luxury travel business. Horvath is also founder and president of Mason Horvath, a luxury travel company and Simpson has worked with Butterfield and Robinson.
Contacts from years ... Read More …

If you’ve ever lost your phone in a cab or behind the couch cushions you’ll know this feeling.
It’s the gut-clenching, heart-pounding realization that you’re totally disconnected.
You’re not alone. In fact there’s a name for it: Nomophobia — fear of being without your mobile phone.
And a growing number of people suffer from it according to a study carried out in the United Kingdom by OnePoll for SecurEnvoy, a company specializing in mobile ... Read More …

Almost lost amidst all the wheeling and dealing being done by Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman is some sad news about former Canuck defenceman Mattias Ohlund.
Ohlund is facing major surgery on his left knee Thursday at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. He has missed the entire season after having arthroscopic surgery on both knees late last summer.
His right knee responded well to that procedure, but Ohlund, 35, has been experiencing severe ... Read More …

As the days get longer and the temperatures heat up (hopefully!) take a look at one of the biggest spring fashion trends of 2012: blue.
Bold, saturated colours are splashed all over the fashion world this season. From catwalks to catalogues — and nearly everywhere in between — a range of blue tones are stealing the spotlight.
Blue creations were in abundance at the recent New York Fashion Week. Highlights included a hi-low hemmed dress ... Read More …

There can be little doubt that Davide Chiumiento is the player with the most individual flair and skill on the Whitecaps roster.
There can also be little doubt that he can be the most frustrating player for both the coach and the supporters to watch.
Chiumiento can drift out of games seemingly on a whim, leaving the side not only bereft of his inspirational play but also lacking in the defensive cover that coach Martin ... Read More …

For those of you who still think Facebook is simply a waste of time:
Researchers at Northern Illinois University’s College of Business have found the wildly popular social media tool, when used as a recruitment tool, is a stronger predictor of a candidate’s success in the office than personality and IQ tests traditionally favoured by employers.
“A lot of actions are taken based on Facebook profiles – people are hired, fired, suspended – but this ... Read More …

Electronic dance music superstar Tiësto has released the latest instalment in his In The Booth video series, where he shows off highlights from his “Club Life” tour of Canada.
In the video, Tiësto stops in Montreal, Edmonton, Kelowna, Victoria and Vancouver, where he gets a bird’s eye view of the city via helicopter.
Watch the episode below.
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Follow me on Twitter: @FMarchandVS... Read More …

I did a lot of running around in my elementary school years (playing street hockey or often aspiring to be Batman and wearing a towel as a make-shift cape), high school years (playing and then coaching football in the summer and cross-country skiing in the winter) and college years (doing my best George Plimpton playing junior hockey and living to write about it).
Setting aside those pre-adult years when I ran literally without thinking about ... Read More …

A man who admits he worked closely with former Mountie Rob Sidhu to smuggle hundreds of kilos of cocaine into Canada has been sentenced to two years behind bars in the U.S.
Anthony Jurcev (on the left in the photo above with Rob Shannon and Skeeter Russell) was handed the term Friday, which was just a fifth of the mandatory minimum in cocaince conspiracy cases. He got the break by pleading guilty, waving extradition and ... Read More …

By Dr. Don Nixdorf, Chiropractor
[We have updated the blog to provide more clarity to this topic] I stumbled upon this “cheat sheet” a week ago that was developed by the BC Chiropractic Association. Follow these lessons and chances are you will not be visiting your family chiropractor as a result of an injury.
1) Pack it right. Test every load before you lift by pushing the object lightly with your hands or feet to ... Read More …

Former Bank of Canada governor David Dodge spoke to the Vancouver Board of Trade on Monday. While his talk focused on the need for a national regulator (read story here), questions after the talk were more broad-based. Here are the questions and answers (paraphrased):
Q: What’s the best direction for Greece to take?
A: Greece should have done something two years ago, that would have been the best action to take.
The European ... Read More …

The Vancouver police department announced Monday its support for federal cybercrime legislation that critics say would give police extensive access to information about your activities on the Internet.
Vancouver police Deputy Chief Warren Lemcke, who is also co-chair of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police Law Amendments Committee, blamed “misinformation” for a growing wave of protest against Bill C-30, which was introduced in Ottawa last week.
“We believe the new legislation will assist the ... Read More …